Chapter 13: Finding Common Ground When Teaching Motivation: Examples from Teaching Self-Efficacy and Self-Determination Theory

Teaching motivation to students new to the topic is a deceptively difficult undertaking. On the surface, the definitions appear to be comprised of simple concepts and typically generate substantial student interest. After all, most graduate students in the social sciences, practicing educators, and educators in training are fascinated by questions as to why people behave as they do in learning situations and the “processes that give behavior its energy and direction” (Reeve, 2005, p. 6). The conundrum of teaching motivation, however, is that as students delve beyond the basic definitions of motivational concepts to the specific theories, models, and constructs associated with the broader realm of motivation, things get messy. This messiness occurs for several reasons, which we discuss below, but especially because there is no explicit metatheory of motivation. In our years of teaching motivation, we have come to understand that students crave order and a well-organized theoretical umbrella when learning new concepts. Without some understanding of how all the pieces of the motivational puzzle fit together, it is difficult for many students to make the leap from “this is interesting” to “this all fits together” to “this is useful in everyday life.”